Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Mark Rogers & Mary Byrne-I Line My Days Along Your Weight

Important Records2014"I Line My Days Along Your Weight" is the debut offering from Brooklyn husband and wife duo Mark Rogers & Mary Byrne. Recorded live to analog tape over the course of a few cold days this past January (with Mark handling most of this album's instrumentation and Mary working as a vocalist, acoustic guitarist and pianist) this tranquil release is just now seeing the light of day. The fact that it is some nine months later is likely not lost on the pair responsible for this confident collection and it most certainly should not be lost on those wise enough to invest in this invaluable folk album. With "I Line My Days Along Your Weight" there proved to be no birthing pains though even as the delivery process of this folk release proved to be as natural and intimate as it's initial creation! Given the undeniable chemistry of the pair and warm and cozy sense of comfort that this album conveys it's not too surprising to learn that Mark Rogers & Mary Byrne stood some mere inches apart as they recorded this humble and humane release. From the onset Mark Rogers (a former member of indie-folk band The Loom whose fingers of gold have been heaven-blessed!) and his partner Mary Byrne (a onetime lead-singer, songwriter and guitarist for Atlantic trio Hot Young Priest whose peaceful vocal delivery unsuccessfully masks the true strength and confidence of this masterful singer!) went out of there way to make "I Line My Days Along Your Weight" sound as delicate and true to life as possible. Even the "minimal touches of lap steel, piano, and electric guitar" that were later folded into the mix as a bit of afterthought add little to what is essentially a bare-naked and (very much so!) intimate take on folk. And with such intimacy on display the differing shades that exists between sorrow and joy on an album such as this all but wash away. In the end as subtle as "I Line My Days Along Your Weight" proclaims to be it is as bold and bright a statement as one can make. And it's a statement that is more than deserving of a receptive audience.

"So, in closing, fuck you METAL MARK. Fuck you, fuck Lynch Mob, and fuck your shitty website!”
“I don't know who this METAL MARK is, but I know better than to waste my time checking out anything else written by this asshole”
-Mike